Form factor - why you need an 8" tablet

[Ed Boland]

This thread is to discuss what made you decide on an 8" tablet. Why do you need one this size? Why pick this over a larger, more "full featured" tablet? Why isn't your phone enough?

Is it because it's more affordable? Because you can fit it in your pocket?

Tell us how this size device fits into your life... Discuss!

 

[Blacklac]

I have both a 7" and a 10". Two 7" tablet, actually. A BB Playbook, Nexus 7 2013and a Lumia 2520. I bought them for different reasons, though.

The Playbook was the only one I actually set out to purchase. It was my first tablet. The Nexus 7 2013 was kinda of spur of the moment thing. I got annoyed with WP App support and decided I needed either an Android or iOS device. A tablet made sense. Had a line on a used iPad Mini (non retina) but it was just out of my budget, then. Decided $149 for the Nexus was a steal for what you get. Solid power, beautiful 1080p screen, fastest updates from Google, long support. Lots to like. Then, I stumbled upon the Lumia 2520 deal. Ideally, I wanted a non RT device, but I couldn't pass this up. $99 with an AT&T contract, which I had a phone line with. Wasn't the best deal, long term, but I don't mind $10 month and $99 upfront with the option for LTE usage.

I usually grab my 10" Lumia, at home. The large screen is really nice. I really only grab my Android if I need to use an Android App or I'm taking a tablet on the road. I did install Flash on my Nexus, and it works through Firefox, so I still have all tablets capable of playing Flash if need be. It's just nice to have the option... And I actually like Android 5.0! I don't necessarily prefer Win RT.

The Playbook has been a dedicated Slacker radio player at my work for months, and I rarely touched it even before that. Never got updates, somewhat slow, etc... It was basically only a browser that was Flash capable. No other benefit.

I see these deals for new 8" tablets with full Windows 8.1 for $150 and under (even $79!) and it's so tempting! I'd love a Win 8.1 (non RT) tablet. For nothing else than being able to use Nokia/Microsoft WP programs to install firmware on phones and such. I don't need a 4th tablet though... Lol. Bad thing about buying these inexpensive tablets is they have basically zero resale value.

Edit- Did not even realize this was posted in the specific Dell Stream forum. Lol. Bad thing about browsing from an App... Somewhat relevant reply, regardless.

 

[Old_Mil]

In my opinion, the 8" Form factor is ideal for a tablet. The screen is substantially larger than anything offered by a phone and it is still light enough and small enough to be extremely portable. When you get up to a 10"-12" tablet, I would just as soon have a laptop with a proper keyboard and all the ports.